Back Again
by BloomAndFireforever
Summary: Rose Tyler has been blasted back from the parallel universe and back to this one. She is trapped here. the meta-crisis Doctor died in an accident at Torchwood. An old friend with a new face comes back into her life. How will things turn out?


**Back Again**

There had been the accident at Torchwood, the leak in time. It had caused so much havoc and almost opened the time vortex. Rose Tyler and _her_ human Doctor had stopped it. Only, there had been a sacrifice. The human Doctor's body absorbed too much and it had killed him. For that small moment, he had forgot he was part human. He couldn't regenerate. The Bad Wolf side of Rose Tyler had protected her. With _her_ human Doctor gone and Rose all right, the Doctor no longer around, didn't feel right. Her heart had been ripped open, and badly broken. That same accident had caused Rose to be pulled back, back to _this_ world. She'd had to start life all over again, this time, without the people she loved and cared for in her heart. Rose had resigned and worked for Torchwood, just like her old life, taking the name 'Rose Smith', knowing 'Rose Tyler' was believed to have died years ago at the Battle of Canary Warf, and listed amongst the dead.

**XXXX**

It's a Saturday night. Rose leaves her flat and heads into town. She wears her black jeans, a pink t-shirt and her blue leather jacket. The front of her golden hair is clipped up loosely and she wears her gold coloured hoop earrings.

Rose hasn't been out much since she had to relive her life. She felt a life without_ her_ Doctor wasn't right, leaving a hole in her damaged heart.

Rose strolls into a pub and stood by the bar. She orders a glass of wine and perches on the bar stool, quietly enjoying her drink. Ten minutes go by and Rose has been sitting quietly and alone. Then out of the corner of her eyes, she sees an oddly dressed man. He wears a tweed jacket, a beige stripy shirt, with faint lines of red. He also wears a red bow tie, with reddish-brown trouser clips, attached to a deep black pair of office men's trousers, rolled up over a deep black pair of boots. The man has a young face. He looks about the same age as Rose and his dark brown hair falls partly over his eyes. Rose glances towards the man. He looks back at her and they turn away. But, the man does a double take at Rose. She _knew_ him and he knew her. This man is the Doctor, and Rose had travelled with him. They had fallen in love and in the end, the Doctor had taken her back to the parallel world where a part-human version of his 10th incarnation could spend the rest of his life with her. But the Doctor didn't know how she'd returned _again_. The reality had sealed itself off, forever. Or so he presumed. But forgetting all that, the Doctor was pleased to see Rose here. Amy and Rory had left and choose to move on. River had travelled to the library where her life had ended, all because of sacrificing herself, to save the others. The Doctor desperately wanted to talk to Rose. However, he remembered he'd regenerated again since the last time she saw him. He fears she wouldn't recognise him. The Doctor shifts further along the bar, slowly towards Rose. She looks back at him.

"It's quite late, isn't it," the Doctor says.

Rose glances at her watch.

"8:45," she responds.

"I'm not staying here long," the Doctor tells her.

"Me neither," Rose says, "Haven't been out much so I thought a quick drink out would do me good. I've had a lot of bad luck lately."

"So have I," the Doctor states, knowing Amy and Rory followed by River, are gone forever, "My friends choose to go their own way. What about you?"

"It's complicated," Rose tells him.

"I'm sure I can keep up," he says.

"I lost my fiancé," Rose explains. She twitches on the word _lost_. A cold and haunting shiver rapidly runs up her spine. "So things have been tough for me."

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he tells her, knowing Rose has lost the only thing that's made her happy. He understands the pain she's feeling. As they chat, Rose _feels _she knows this friendly stranger, but she can't work out where or why she's feeling this.

"I'm Rory," he suddenly says, "Rory Williams."

He knows the meta-crisis human Doctor would use the ego name, John Smith.

"Rose," she tells him, "Rose Smith."

He knows she is lying about her surname but he remains quiet.

**XXXX**

Days, weeks and months travel by. Rose regularly meets up with 'Rory'. Well, it's more a set up. He always looks out for Rose and makes it look like they keep running into each other coincidently. Knowing Rose is back makes him feel better. Rose and 'Rory' spend time with each other; eating out, going to the cinema, ice skating and sometimes coming back to Rose's flat, for coffee and a chat.

**XXXX**

They build trust in each other and he asks her out. He wasn't very good at this. Rose didn't care. She still said yes. That was the important thing. They were partners in a relationship and the Doctor, who Rose knew as 'Rory' didn't care about breaking a few _rules_.

**XXXX**

"Are you good with secrets?" she asks him one evening, curled up with her head against his chest, lying on the deep velvet sofa.

"Very good," he tells her, with a child's grin spreading out across his face.

"It doesn't matter if you don't believe me," Rose says. She tells 'Rory' her story of how she met the Doctor and the amazing adventures he took her on and the parallel world that parted them, followed by her return. Because 'Rory' is really the Doctor, he remembers so well. Rose confesses that her fiancé who died, John Smith, was a part human version of the Doctor. She tells him, on _her_ world, there was the leak in time, causing John's death and causing her return back here.

"I absorbed the time vortex, long ago, making me the Bad Wolf," Rose explains, "When the leak happened John and I saved everyone by standing in the way. He couldn't regenerate and he died as it overpowered him. The Bad Wolf side protected me. I survived. There was a flash of light. _That_ was what sent me back here. I later discovered I became like my friend Jack, and immortal. I look the same. I need to be careful no one else notices."

The Doctor gazes at Rose, feeling the sympathy. A small tear escapes from his eye, and drips onto Rose's golden hair. She moves from his arm and looks up at him.

"You're crying," she whispers.

Her lips meet his and he kisses her gently. He is glad he has broken _this_ rule on being seriously intimate with a human. He pulls away and tucks a lock of hair behind her ears.

"I have a secret too," he tells her, "I wanted to tell you before, but I feel now is the right time."

He takes both her hands and places one on either side of his chest. Rose hears heartbeats beating away and they're coming from _two_ separate hearts! She gasps and gazes into his eyes, knowing she has found _him_ again.

"Hello, Rose Tyler," he says, a grin spreads across his face.

"Doctor," she says, almost a whisper, "_My_ Doctor."

"I've missed you," he tells her.

Rose steps back. The Doctor senses something is wrong.

"G…Give me a minute," she stutters rapidly, and disappears into the bathroom, locking the door and staring wondrously into the mirror.

_The Doctor's back, we dated for months!_ Rose thinks, with shock racing all over her body,_ And we had sex! I didn't even know he was really the Doctor! I thought he was another human, like me! _

She gives herself time to recover. Rose puts on an act of casualness, takes a deep breath and steps out of the bathroom.

"I've missed you too," Rose explains.

"Come with me," he grins.

The Doctor gets up and takes Rose by the hand. He leads her outside and down the street. The TARDIS is there. Rose smiles. She leaps into his arms and kisses him again.

"Shall we go inside?" he asks.

"Definitely," she replies.

He takes the key from his pocket and leads Rose inside the TARDIS. She sees it is different. Like the Doctor, the TARDIS has changed too.

"Do you like it?" he asks.

"I love it," she replies.

Then she turns to the Doctor. Rose has a question, something she wanted to ask before. "Since when do you wear bow ties?"

"Bow ties are cool," he responds defensively.

"I am so happy I found you again," she whispers.

"What now?" the Doctor asks.

"We travel," Rose explains, "You and me, together forever."

But first she races back to her flat and packs a full suitcase. A girl needs to be prepared for her adventures. This includes Rose. She seals her suitcase, picks it up, and drags it outside, locking up the doors to her flat. The Doctor is still there, waiting for her outside the TARDIS. Rose goes inside with him and puts her suitcase down. She approaches the Doctor and he gives her a key to the TARDIS. The key is new. When the TARDIS changed, so did the lock system. She thanks him and tucks it away safely in her pocket. He pulls the lever and the TARDIS dematerialises, taking flight. He pulls Rose close to his beating hearts.

"Where to?" he asks.

"Surprise me," she replies.

She doesn't care where they go. But as long as the Doctor is in the TARDIS with Rose Tyler, just as it should be, they will both be happy. They hope nothing in the world will tear them apart, and make them let go. They _will_ be together, forever.

"I love you," Rose says softly.

"I love you too," he whispers gently, "I always will, Rose. _You_ are my life now."

_**End of story**_

**A/N:**** My first 11****th**** Doctor/Rose Tyler story. Hope you enjoyed it. Please review.**


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